If you're one of the 26 million adults with diabetes, as reported by the American Diabetes Association, you have an increased risk for complications like heart disease, strokes, blindness, amputations and organ failure. The adult-onset form of the disease may be prevented and treated with lifestyle modifications, including diet and supplements. Burdock is one herbal remedy that could keep blood sugar levels normal, although you should never use burdock or other alternative therapies without first consulting your doctor.
Burdock
Known by the scientific name Arctium lappa L, burdock is probably best known in the United States as a source of burrs matted in the fur of pet dogs. The Japanese, who call it godo, use the root and seeds to boost the immune system. Folk practitioners in China and India treat respiratory infections, abscesses and joint pain with burdock. Europeans in the Middle Ages used the plant to treat everything from tumors to kidney disease. But burdock has also been used around the world to lower blood sugar levels.
How It Works
Burdock contains compounds called arctin and arctigenin that help to increase your body's tolerance to carbohydrates. This, in turn, leads to a drop in blood sugar levels after consuming carbohydrates, preventing a rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin that can stay elevated in diabetics and lead to chronic disease. Arctin and arctigenin also inhibit pro-inflammatory factors that play a key role in the development of diabetes.
Scientific Evidence
A 2004 study of 31 patients at China's Shanghai University investigated the effects of a mixture of burdock and astragalus in treating patients with diabetic neuropathy, a condition causing pain or numbness in arms and legs. The researchers found that patients receiving the supplement had improved blood sugar levels and metabolism of fatty lipids, compared to a control. The supplement group also had reduced levels of albumin protein in their urine, which is a marker for kidney disease often caused by diabetes. A study on rats published in “Phytotherapy Research” in 2008 found that burdock extracts led to significant reductions in blood sugar, triglycerides and total cholesterol levels.
Considerations
Burdock supplements are available as a loose powder or in capsules, with a typical dosage being 1 g to 2 g of powdered dry root three times per day. Burdock tea can be contaminated with toxic belladonna atropine, especially if it comes from an unreliable source. If you're allergic to chrysanthemums, daisies or ragweed, you could experience a reaction to burdock. Avoid burdock if you're pregnant, as burdock can cause uterine stimulation and possibly, abortion.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Statistics
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Burdock; March 2011
- “Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi”; Clinical Observation on Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy With Compound Fructus Arctii Mixture; H.Y. Wang and Y.P. Chen; July 2004
- “Phytotherapy Research”; The Antidiabetic Activity of Total Lignan from Fructus Arctii Against Alloxan-Induced Diabetes in Mice And Rats; Z. Xu, et al.; January 2008
- Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center: Burdock
